podtour
Buda under Siege
Buda's walls remember more than one siege. Follow gates, towers and plaques to meet people on both sides of them.
Buda Castle: Kings, Views and Legends: audio walk in Budapest
Castle Hill from end to end, sorting the real thing from the stage set: a church that was once a mosque and saw Sisi crowned, a bastion that never defended anything, a hussar who took Berlin, the labyrinth where Dracula never was, the Prime Minister's palace and the fountain behind a ballad.
What this walk is about
You start in the square where a raven with a ring explains King Matthias's coat of arms, and climb to the church that Suleiman turned into a mosque, where Franz Joseph and Sisi were crowned to a Mass that Liszt wrote for the day. The Fisherman's Bastion turns out to be a viewpoint from 1902, and the plague column the second go at a vow. You carry on through the district's streets: the hussar who rode into Berlin, the labyrinth that sells a Dracula the sources lock up somewhere else, the square left in ruins in 1945, the palace of the devil rider and of a tragic night in 1941, and the Royal Palace that Matthias shared with Beatrice of Aragon. You finish at Ilonka's fountain, a legend with an author and a date.
- Start
- A Thieving Bird and a Legendary Ancestor
- Finish
- Beautiful Ilonka: A Legend with an Author
- Who it is for
- A good starting point for your first visit. A walk for anyone curious about legends and mystery and kings and palaces.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk has slopes or changes in level. There are cobbles or uneven surfaces. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
A Thieving Bird and a Legendary Ancestor
- 2
The Church of Two Weddings That Became a Mosque
- 3
A Fortress Built for Show
- 4
1867: A Crown, a Mass and a Gift
- 5
A Plague Column, Twice Over
- 6
The Hussar Who Took Berlin
- 7
Stone Thrones in the Entrance Hall
- 8
Dracula Did Not Sleep Here
- 9
One Intact House Out of Two Hundred, and the Nuncio
- 10
The Devil's Horseman and Tea with Sissi
- 11
The Night of 1941 and a Palace on Paper
- 12
Matthias, Beatrice of Aragon and a Lost Palace
- 13
Beautiful Ilonka: A Legend with an Author
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Budapest, before you go
A view can seem close while lying across a bridge. Keep each walk within a sensible area and save some energy for simply stopping beside the Danube.
More walks nearby
From Parliament to the Glass House
From the Danube to the Glass House, walk through a district of power and remembrance. Its monuments do not always tell the same story.
Pest and the Revolution of 1848
A revolution survives among the cafés, printing shops and theatres of central Pest. Follow 15 March 1848 through the streets where it unfolded.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
Podtour manages your launch request with your consent. You can withdraw it and exercise your rights as explained in our privacy policy. Privacy details.
One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.